On August 15th, Kim Do-yeong finally hit his 30th home run of the season. In a game against the Kiwoom Heroes at Seoul's Gocheok Sky Dome, he accurately connected with a pitch from opposing pitcher Jesus, sending the ball over the center field fence for a two-run home run that traveled 130 meters.

  This highly anticipated 30th home run came 12 days after his previous one against the Hanwha Eagles in Daejeon on August 3rd, despite being heavily targeted by pitchers from various teams. With this home run, Kim Do-yeong became the youngest and fastest player in KBO League history to join the 30-30 club. The previous record for the youngest player was held by baseball commentator Park Jae-hong, who achieved it at 22 years and 11 months old in 1996 while playing for Hyundai. Kim, at 20 years and 10 months, broke this record by nearly two years. He also surpassed the previous fastest record of 112 games set by Eric Thames (then with the NC Dinos) in 2015 by achieving the feat in just 111 games.

  The 30-30 milestone, representing 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases, is considered a symbol of a player who excels in both power hitting and speed. Typically, power hitters lack speed, and fast runners lack power, making it incredibly difficult to possess both abilities. For pitchers, facing a player with these skills is daunting; if they challenge him directly, his power is intimidating, and if they avoid a direct confrontation and allow him on base, his speed becomes a threat as he will likely attempt to steal. Conversely, for a team that has such a player, the strategic options increase, greatly improving the chances of victory.

  However, achieving this record is extremely challenging. Even legendary hitters like the late Jang Hyo-jo, who had a lifetime batting average of .330, "Baseball God" Yang Jun-hyuk, known for hitting .300 even while holding the bat backwards, and "National Hitter" Lee Seung-yeop, who hit 600 home runs across the Korean and Japanese leagues, never achieved this remarkable milestone.

  As a result, players who join the 30-30 club appear only once every few years. In fact, since the inception of Korean professional baseball in 1982, only nine players have reached this milestone over the past 42 years.

  The first player to join the 30-30 club was Park Jae-hong. In 1996, as a rookie from college playing for Hyundai, he shocked the KBO League by hitting 30 home runs and stealing 36 bases. The following year, Lee Jong-beom, known as the "Son of the Wind," became the second member of the 30-30 club with 30 home runs and 64 stolen bases. In 1998, Park Jae-hong once again made history by joining the 30-30 club for the second time. In 1999, a year when the trend of “High Hitting and Low Pitching,” was particularly pronounced, three players — Hong Hyun-woo, Lee Byung-kyu, and Thames — joined the 30-30 club. In the 2000 season, Park Jae-hong became the first player to join the club three times, setting a new record.

  After a long absence, interest in the 30-30 club was revived in the 2015 season thanks to the outstanding performance of Thames. Thames posted remarkable numbers with a season batting average of .381, 47 home runs, 40 stolen bases, and 140 Runs Batted In (RBIs), surpassing the 40-40 club and being crowned season MVP, solidifying his reputation as the most powerful foreign player in KBO history.

  Now, the spotlight is on Kim Do-yeong. Having joined KIA in 2022, he is rewriting his baseball history in just his third year as a professional. Starting the 2024 season with a bang, he has created new milestones, including becoming the first player in KBO League history to record 10 home runs and 10 stolen bases in a single month and achieving a natural cycle in the fewest plate appearances. On August 15th, he joined the 30-30 club and followed up with a grand slam on the 17th, continuing his relentless pursuit of the MVP title.

  With 30 games remaining for KIA, experts believe that Kim could potentially reach 38 home runs and 42 stolen bases based on current projections. If he steps up his performance in the remaining games, he may become the first domestic player to achieve the historic 40-40 club milestone.

  Despite hitting a grand slam against LG on the 17th, Kim did not smile. He remarked, "My batting isn’t feeling great, so I feel a bit down. I hope my form improves soon." This statement reflects his strong mental fortitude.

  As of August 17th, Kim is batting .344 with 31 home runs, 34 stolen bases, 89 RBIs, and 111 runs scored. There is great anticipation that he could achieve the monumental feat of joining the 3 (batting average)-40 (home runs)-40 (stolen bases)-100 (RBIs)-100 (runs) club. Considering his abilities and determination, this goal seems well within reach.